Wichita eagle., 1887-06-03
CONSISTENCY, THOU ART JEWEL

TO the Editor OF the Eagle.
Under the topic. ''Short and Caustic,
the readers of yesterdays EAGLE are treated
to BIT of characteristic literature. If we
are to judge from the language the writer
uses, and the fluency with which she
handles epithets, we must conclude that
her literary studies are chiefly confined to
police magazines, dime novels. and, Per-
haps, 1Esop's Fables. This is the kind of
polish, refinement and culture her articles
Enthusiastically betray. A woman with such
profound and scholarly attainments as these
presumes to plead the cause of female suf
frage.
The article in Sundays EAGLE, it is evil
dent, must have contained something to
which she very mildly and modestly OBJ
iects. After assuring US that she is IAN in
telligent and courageous woman, and also
that she is not ashamed to sign
her name, she proceeds to give an
exhibition of her style and argu-
ment. As she wakes more eloquent
she forsakes, for moment, her character
istic logic, because, and exhibits another
equally strong method of vanquishing an
opponent in discussion We refer to her
forte in the use Of epithets. Indeed we
rather suspected that she had given some
little attention to the cultivation of this art,
when, while disciplining Senator ingalls,
the other day, she called him IAN old bell
wether." The senator, of course, don't
mind. He is good natured, and though he
may object a little to certain inuendoes in
the title applied to him by his refined critic,
still he would not for the world retaliate.
In her little speech of yesterday however,
she is at her best in calling names. How
suggestive and taking her vocabulary!
Hear. You cold bellweather." You
''braying donkey" You myth blinded
animal" You "benighted, cowardly
criminal" etc. We have heard such logic
and such argument on street corners
and on circus days, but are not quite
sure that it was the language OF
either ladies or gentlemen. Surely there
must have been something in Sundays
article our sister politician does not like,
to call forth such an eloquent array of
epithets. These are her argument. her
reasoning, her logic, and her consistency.
What a fine culture they betray! What a
beautiful, gentle, calm and serene home
circle they suggest! How essential these
epithets in the discussion of great ques-
tons. How much dignity aud force they
give to the argument And what strong
weapons of defense, and what unanswera-
BILE logic. How interesting would be the
spectacle, and how edifying the discussion
of great national question on the floor OF
congress by dozen or more of female
politicians of this stamp! How sucn logic
would silence into obedient discipleship
the Websters, the Calhouns and the Clays.
This skilled and polished politician sug-
gests that she is not ashamed to sign her
name to her speeches Well, we have heard
of instances before where people were not
ashamed to sign their names. At our re-
cent municipal registration there were
quite large number of this class.
She further says she is conversant with
the ancient Gaelic dialect, and that she can
use it both literally and figuratively. All!
madam, we guessed as much when we
learned what your favorite literary studies
were And we may as well confess now
| that if 1.-The foeman worthy of your steel,
with whom you desire to cross swords,
must get his ammunition from the same
source that you evidently get yours, the
battle is won before it is fought. With
such implements of warfare we should fall
an easy victim, since we do not take kindly
to police magazines and dime novels, nor
| do we prefer to discuss female suffrage in
circus parlance. In the logic of "be
cause, and in the language of epithets,
we are not sufficiently schooled to meet an
adversary so profoundly conyersant in
these arts, and, therefore, if these are to be
the weapons the challenge is not
accepted If they are the requirement.
aud qualifications of foeman you deem
worthy of your steel" you will likely
find your ideal knight among the Texas
cow boys,-one who can discuss in your
favorite language and logic both literally
and ''figuratively." Let me venture tc
suggest that you will find his vocabulary ir
names and epithets quite as rich and vigor
GUS as you have demonstrated yours to be
and that unless you have abundant reserve
power in this direction, which you I'M
doubtedly have, he may prove too worthy
of your steel. W. II. r.